Bodies of Three Kenyan Women Who Died in Saudi Arabia Repatriated After Sonko’s Help

The bodies of three Kenyan women who died in Saudi Arabia arrived in the country on Monday following the intervention of former Nairobi governor Mike Sonko through his charity, Sonko Rescue Team.

An Emirates plane carrying the bodies of Jackline Muthoni, 40, Lucy Mwanyae Kea, 24, and Mercy Mbula, 27, landed at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) at 6.15 a.m. where they were received by Sonko Rescue Team and handed over to their families.

“Sonko rescue team cleared all the medical, morgue and flight expenses of all the three deceased since I know how painful it can be for a family not to be in a position to give their last respects to a loved one due to lack of money,” Sonko said on Facebook.

Mbula, who hails from Kangundo, Machakos County, was reportedly killed by being doused in acid by a friend who discovered she was dating her boyfriend. She died of complications arising from “chemical burns” on October 10th, according to a report filed by Dr. Naif Al Juhny in Riyadh.

Muthoni, a resident of Imenti South in Meru County who worked as a house help, died under mysterious circumstances on June 10th and her body had been lying in a morgue in Riyadh for about six months.

Kea, who traveled to Saudi Arabia in 2019 as a domestic worker, equally died under unclear circumstances. The family received reports of her death on October 29th. Her sister said the mother of one son was not sick and the two had communicated on the previous day at around 7 p.m.

Sonko decried the rate at which Kenyans, especially domestic workers, are dying in Saudi Arabia and urged the government to investigate and establish the cause of these deaths.

“The rate at which our Kenyan girls continue to die in Saudi Arabia is very alarming. It’s high time relevant government authorities start conducting [postmortems] once the bodies land in our country to ascertain the cause of death and also to confirm if any body parts are missing,” he said.